This invention relates to hand-held control devices--also referred to as manipulandi--, and more particularly, to hand-held control devices for developing electrical control signal.
A manipulandum is a device that is manipulated to achieve a particular control result. In the mechanical art, a manipulandum often takes the form of a control lever or wheel, such as the directional signal actuator and the steering wheel on a car, respectively. In the electronic arts, a manipulandum often takes the form of a switch with multiposition switch arrangements. This includes multiswitch combinations such as the telephone touch-tone pad, multiposition toggle switches (often three positions), multiposition rotary switches such as television channel selectors, position-sensitive analog "switches," and combinations of the above. Of the latter variety, some can be more easily classified as switches than others.
The so-called joystick has initially been used as a mechanical manipulandum for airplane controls. More recently, joysticks which combine the mechanical aspects of an airplane joystick with electrical actuators such as switches and/or potentiometers have been used as input devices to electronic games played on a home television screen or at an arcade. In these instances, the joystick is mounted either on a large game unit or on a separate, movable and relatively small unit. The separate unit typically comprises the joystick alone, or perhaps the joystick with some other player-controlled input button, such as a "firing" button.
There are many types of joystick arrangements which address different design problems. Some address the problem of sensing the neutral, center position of the joystick; some address the problem of large size in applications where small size is important; some address the problem of making joysticks that provide direct electrical contact with printed circuit boards; and some deal with the various switch mechanisms that may be employed.
However, most hand-held manipulandum designs in the electronic art do not appear to be very concerned with the convenience of grasping the unit which contains the manipulandum, nor with the convenience of manipulating the control arrangement (e.g., joystick) entirely with one finger and in a manner that follows the natural movements of the finger. Most arrangements are embedded in the electronic equipment, and those that are placed in a separate unit (such as joysticks of electronic games) are designed to be placed on a table top. They can be picked up and held by hand, of course, but their design is such that, for convenient use, one must hold the housing with one hand and manipulate the joystick with the other hand.
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a multiposition manipulandum that permits a convenient grasp of the unit containing the manipulandum and activation of the manipulandum by the simple movement of one of the grasping hand's fingers.
It is another object of this invention to provide a joystick arrangement that is portable, conveniently heldable in one hand, and manipulatable with one finger.